The Most Underrated TV Shows Of 2023

Believe it or not, there was once a day where one could watch just about every new show that aired on television, with just three networks in existence in America. Since the advent of cable television, though, it has become a challenge just to watch all of the good ones, and now with streaming, it's impossible. Every year, hundreds of shows land in front of audiences, and it can be tough to choose which ones to spend your time with.

Today, viewers are forced to go by recommendations — whether it's from a friend, an online review, or just aggregated critic and audience scores from the likes of Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic. But every year, dozens of top-notch shows get missed by most, the victim of the annual abundance of programming that leaves audiences to pick and choose. And at the end of every year, it's our job to highlight the ones you may have skipped but should have watched.

In 2023, it should come as no surprise that most of the underrated shows hail from streaming services: Whether Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, or Apple TV+, each platform releases so many shows every year that even the biggest productions can be scuttled beneath the waves. So we've scoured social media and review aggregators, combined them with our own opinions, and assembled a list of the most underrated TV shows of 2023. If you're looking for something new to watch that many missed, here's your chance. 

Even after fighting terrorists as FBI agent Jack Bauer on "24"  and again as President Kirkman on "Designated Survivor," Kiefer Sutherland still isn't done saving the world. In 2023, the veteran actor returned with a new series on Paramount+ titled "Rabbit Hole," and while promotion was heavy on its launch, it never really caught fire with viewers. That's too bad, because it's a solid spy thriller, a blend of "Jason Bourne" and "Jack Ryan" with a little old-school '70s political intrigue too.

Sutherland stars as John Weir, a corporate espionage agent who is falsely implicated in the grisly murder of a prominent tech mogul (played by "Succession" star Rob Yang). Weir must now go on the run to clear his name but in doing so he uncovers evidence of a global conspiracy that strikes at the very heart of democracy. His enemy isn't a diabolical terrorist mastermind or an international drug cartel, but powerful forces whose ability to manipulate information makes them impossible to stop.

Perhaps it was the somewhat overdone premise — a secret agent who learns of a powerful cabal that controls the world — that led audiences to turn away from "Rabbit Hole," but the series isn't as rote as its description might seem. If you enjoyed "24" and "Designated Survivor," and enjoy a quality caper with plenty of twists and turns, "Rabbit Hole" is the hidden gem you've been looking for.

The last few years have seen a surge of stellar sci-fi shows, from new takes on longtime stalwarts like "Star Trek" and "Star Wars" to video game adaptations like "Twisted Metal" and "The Last of Us." But while those blockbuster franchises allowed their adaptations to get tons of widespread recognition, "Silo" — based on a series of novels by Hugh Howey — got lost in the shuffle. 

In "Silo," the world has been besieged by destruction, forcing what's left of civilization into the confines of an enormous 144-story grain silo. All of society has been restructured within, with a tyrannical ruling class that keeps the population in check. Law and order is provided by Sheriff Holston Becker (David Oyelowo) and security chief Robert Sims (Common), but when engineer Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) discovers that the silo is harboring a sinister secret, she threatens the entire world order by questioning everything she's been led to believe about this dystopian world.

Created by "Band of Brothers" and "Justified" producer Graham Yost, "Silo" also stars Rashida Jones, Harriet Walter, and Tim Robbins. It's a series with a compelling mystery at its center, with new clues each week that unravel a tightly wound web of story, propped up by its star cast who are all at the top of their game. It may not have a brand name atop its title, but "Silo" has the potential to be a long-running series, perhaps even with spin-offs of its very own.

Try and explain how one of the biggest names in movie comedy can write, produce, and star opposite an acclaimed Hollywood actress in a new prestige series that somehow flies under everyone's radar. But that's exactly what happened with "Platonic," which got some initial attention thanks to Seth Rogen's involvement but seemed to fade from consciousness after its debut despite good reviews.

Airing on Apple TV+, "Platonic" followed former best friends Will and Sylvia (Rogen and Rose Byrne), whose lives went in opposite directions after they each got married, but who reconnect after Will's divorce. Sylvia is a successful suburban wife and mother who left her career as a lawyer to take care of her burgeoning family, while Will is co-owner of a struggling bar, but now they're back to the same kinds of wild antics they got up to back in college. Together they toss the notion that men and women can't be friends on its head, deciding that life is better if you follow your heart and stop trying to live up to everyone else's expectations. 

A laugh riot with a heartfelt message, "Platonic" does something fresh with an otherwise ordinary sitcom formula. The series shines with its combination of sharp comedy, pitch-perfect performances, and the same kinds of off-the-wall ridiculousness as Rogen's best movies. Though it remains to be seen if viewing figures were enough to secure a second season, critics and audiences who saw it heaped it with praise as an unconventional buddy comedy that succeeds where it should and delights where least expected.

A mix of dark humor and darker drama, "Rain Dogs" is an HBO series from Cash Carraway that's already earned critical acclaim for its tender but offbeat love story. The series stars Daisy May Cooper as Costello Jones, a down-on-her-luck single mother struggling to get by on the streets of London, often forced to skirt the bounds of the law to support herself and her daughter Iris (Fleur Tashjian).

The mother and daughter find a quasi-father figure in the form of Selby (Jack Farthing), who's just gotten out of prison and looking to get his life back. Together, Costello, Iris, Selby — and Costello's best friend Gloria (Ronke Adekoluejo) — become an unconventional family unit. But no matter how hard they try, they can't escape a system meant to keep outcasts like them down and out, with no way to escape their unlucky circumstances.

A tragic comedy about the bond between family — blood or not — "Rain Dogs" explores the lives we don't often think about: those living on the outskirts, forgotten by society, yet looking for prosperity and belonging just like everyone else. It's a little rough around the edges, but the series stands head and shoulders alongside the best shows of the year, even if you've never heard of it.

Major Hollywood stars are coming to television more and more these days, and one of the last holdouts was Harrison Ford. But in late 2022 (and early 2023), Ford starred in a TV series for the very first time in his legendary career, the "Yellowstone" prequel "1923," and it was met with rave reviews. Yet Ford didn't just star in one series in 2023, but two: his second was "Shrinking," a comedy that was overshadowed by "1923." While it also met with acclaim from critics, "Shrinking" didn't light up the charts the way it probably should have.

Ford stars in "Shrinking" as Dr. Paul Rhoades, a therapist suffering from Parkinson's disease. But Ford is really playing a supporting role to Jason Segel, who takes the lead of the series as Jimmy Laird, Rhoades' colleague and therapist going through his own life crisis. Following the death of his wife, Laird re-evaluates how he does his job and starts breaking all sorts of legal and ethical rules by getting more and more involved in his patients' lives.

A sardonic look at self-help and self-improvement, "Shrinking" has already been nominated for a pair of Emmy awards, with Segel and co-star Jessica Williams (who plays fellow therapist Gaby) both earning nods. But as funny as the series is, what makes the show so special is its moving story of grief and its exploration of personal tragedy.

Screenwriter Lee Sung Jin has contributed to a number of modern greats, writing episodes of "Silicon Valley," "2 Broke Girls," and "Dave," while also serving as writer and story editor for a slew of episodes on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" during the show's fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. In 2023, he created his own series, the dark comedy "Beef," starring Academy Award nominee Steven Yeun and Emmy nominee Ali Wong.

"Beef" is the story of Danny Cho (Yeun) and Amy Lau (Wong), total strangers whose lives become intertwined when they become involved in a random road rage incident. In the aftermath, neither can let the conflict go, and their sparring soon escalates into a never-ending war, with the two at odds while dealing with their own personal problems at home. But when the war boils over, and the back-and-forth takes a twisted turn, both their lives begin to spiral out of control.

Nearly flawless, "Beef" boasts sterling performances, as well as a tightly scripted, unpredictable story that delves into dark places and will keep you guessing. The way it explores our most inner fears and the ways we react to turmoil is what has reviewers raving and landed the show 13 Emmy Award nominations, including one each for Wong and Yeun.

Idris Elba came to fame on the small screen with HBO's "The Wire" and BBC's "Luther." In the years since, though, he's mostly been on the big screen, but whenever he returns to television it's always worth watching. In 2023, he came back for "Hijack," a midair thriller where he stars as a corporate executive stuck on a plane that's been taken over by terrorists. And the whole thing is told in real time, a la "24," with the events unfolding in six hours or so.

Elba plays Sam Nelson, whose day job is a negotiator for big business wheeling and dealing. So when his flight to Dubai is overrun, he's the best person aboard to communicate with the hijackers. Setting a seven-episode series within the confines of a plane was risky, but the series pulls it off with aplomb, as the real-time format brings an added layer of tension.

Unfortunately, "Hijack" suffered the same fate as "Platonic" and "Changeling," and didn't receive much love airing on Apple TV+, whose subscriber base pales in comparison to rivals like Netflix, Amazon, HBO Max, and Disney+. Still, it shouldn't be discounted just because it was released on a lesser-viewed service, as it delivers some of the best suspense of 2023 — just don't expect it to be offered as in-flight entertainment any time soon.

Streaming service Epix changed its name to MGM+ in 2023, but one of its best shows remains a holdover: the second season of the sci-fi/horror series "From." It may not get the attention of shows on bigger streaming platforms, but it should: at its best, "From" is as good as anything in either genre gets. It's the brainchild of writer John Griffin, who penned the Disney+ movie "Crater" and is slated to script the Netflix adaptation of "Magic: The Gathering."

"From" stars "Lost" alum Harold Perrineau as Boyd Stevens, the leader of an otherworldly town that seems to have supernatural properties. The series opens with a family on a road trip who are forced to take a detour into the town but find themselves unable to leave. Like a twisted episode of "The Twilight Zone," every road leads back into town, and all efforts to leave are thwarted by unknown forces. But who or what is keeping the residents and visitors of this town trapped within its confines — and for what sinister purpose?

Debuting in 2022, the show's second season is again under-appreciated in 2023, despite Perrineau receiving acclaim for his performance, and reviews that are through the roof. Praised for its spooky vibe and cleverly-told mystery, "From" should be at the top of your list if you're looking for something to watch late at night.

Good British crime dramas are a dime a dozen these days — you can toss a bowler hat and hit one by mistake — but while the new "Luther" telefilm grabbed most of the mainstream press, it was shows like "Payback" and "Steeltown Murders" that dazzled beneath the fold. And the best of the rest is "The Sixth Commandment," a series that is easily the most enticing thanks to its true crime roots.

Based on a true story, "The Sixth Commandment" is led by Timothy Spall and Anne Reid as university professor Peter Farquhar and his neighbor Ann Moore-Martin. Eanna Hardwicke stars as Ben Field, a university student studying under Faquhar who becomes romantically involved with the professor. But when Farquhar is killed under suspicious circumstances, and Moore-Martin appears to be targeted too, the relationship between the teacher and his student comes under scrutiny.

Masterfully told, "The Sixth Commandment" benefits from its stellar but unheralded cast, but be warned: don't go reading about the story from 2015 if you're unfamiliar with it. It made waves in the British press at the time, but you'll want to go in fresh as there are plenty of surprises in store.

It may lack huge stars, but "Black Cake" is as good as any series with a top-billed A-lister. Its cast is comprised of actors that many audiences won't be familiar with, but with a little bit of luck, some of them might become big stars thanks to the series, which began seeing rave reviews even before it concluded. One of the best shows of the year, it's downright shameful that it isn't among the most-watched — and we're here to help change that.

Adapted from the novel by Charmaine Wilkerson, "Black Cake" introduces us to Byron and Benny Bennett (Ashley Thomas and Adrienne Warren) whose family history is riddled with secrets. When their mother Eleanor (Chipo Chung) dies and leaves them with a series of mysterious recordings, they slowly uncover the sins of the past. As they gradually make their way through the recordings, stunning revelations are explored in extensive flashbacks to the 1960s — showing us just how the Bennetts came to be.

Though the series puts a focus on the family's twisted history, there's also plenty of drama in the present lives of Byron and Benny, too. Finally facing up to ghosts from their past, Benny and Byron must find a way to reconcile their mother's long struggle with their own challenges today — and you'll be hooked watching them try.

A tally of underrated anything might be one of the most challenging lists of recommendations to assemble. After all, the term can mean many things to many people — but we've done our best to put together a group of shows that fit the bill.

For our list here, not only did we consider shows that got more modest reviews than they may deserve, but we also put special attention on series that were great — and got good reviews — but didn't seem to get the notice they should have from the wider audience and the media. We took into account scores from Metacritic, IMDb, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as online chatter from social media sites like Twitter and Reddit, combining all of that with what we feel was truly underrated in 2023.

With any luck, our list will give you something to chew on — because we'd like nothing more than to help an underrated series gain some new fans.